Armenia-Azerbaijan discussed at Turkey’s first post-election Security Council meeting

 13:17, 9 June 2023

YEREVAN, JUNE 9, ARMENPRESS. The Armenia-Azerbaijan relations were among the items on the agenda in the first post-election meeting of the Turkish Security Council, state media reports.

The Security Council meeting of Turkey discussed the crises in Syria, Kosovo and Sudan, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Syrian refugees and other topics.

Anadolu news agency cited a readout as saying that Ankara welcomes the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan and wants a peace treaty to be signed as soon as possible, leading to lasting peace and stability on the Caucasian region.

The President of Artsakh signs decrees on additional restrictions under martial law

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 18:55,

YEREVAN, MAY 26, ARMENPRESS. President of the Artsakh Republic Arayik Harutyunyan signed decrees on additional restrictions applied under martial law.

The presidential decree prohibits all kinds of gatherings, except for the purpose of realizing the right of self-determination of the people of Artsakh, as well as gatherings organized on holidays and memorial days of the Republic of Artsakh, which can be organized only with the permission of the Government of the Artsakh Republic.

Another decree of the President restricts the freedom of _expression_ of opinion, prohibits seeking, receiving and disseminating information about the defense capability, security, territorial integrity, sovereignty, constitutional or public order, normal development of economy of the Artsakh Republic through any means of information, including propaganda against them.

ARF Bureau: “We will not tolerate coercive agreements that violate the interests of the Armenian nation.”

At his May 22, 2023 press conference, the person holding the position of Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia openly announced the recognition of Artsakh and the former enclaves of the Tavush and Ararat regions (marzes) in the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan – the latest manifestation of the anti-state and anti-national policy consistently implemented by the administration of the Republic of Armenia.

The current government of Armenia, working hand in hand with the Turkish-Azerbaijani tandem, is deliberately trying to break the spirit of resistance of our people, leading the country to inevitable destruction.

The long line of defeats, losses and humiliations is entering a new phase. Every day and hour this government stays in power is a threat to our existence.

However, all is not yet lost. The situation can be corrected. We have the capacity to do so. With the joint efforts of all our national forces, we must immediately restore the Armenia-Artsakh-Diaspora trinity and make a breakthrough in the situation. A strong, just, dignified Armenia is the guarantee of our security and future success. But first, it is necessary to prevent the adoption of new capitulation agreements which would force wreckless concessions, preventing any agreement without the direct participation of the people.

Any actions of any Armenian authority, which call into question the results of the referendums held in Artsakh, the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, and the Declaration of Independence, which is an integral part of the Armenian Constitution, are null and void from the start.

We will not tolerate coercive agreements that violate the interests of the Armenian nation. All honorable and patriotic Armenians have a role to play in this regard. We believe that together we can turn the tide of history.

ARF Bureau




Turkish Press: Russian FM hosts Azerbaijani, Armenian counterparts for talks

DAILY SABAH
Turkey –

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov hosted Azerbaijani Counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov and Armenian Counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan in Moscow on Friday to discuss a roadmap to normalize ties between the two neighboring countries.

Opening the meeting, Lavrov said he expects his interlocutors to inform him about steps that Russia should take to contribute to the implementation of the trilateral agreements, which ended the Second Karabakh War.

"We met quite a long time ago, and a lot of new topics have appeared. I hope that today's meeting will take place in a constructive atmosphere and that your direct dialogue will help achieve additional results," he said.

Lavrov suggested focusing in the trilateral format on the possibilities that Russia has that can be used to define steps for normalization between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

"We are entirely interested to have stability and peace in this region (South Caucasus), where Russia's interests are directly involved, we will pursue implementation of the solutions that will lead to the stabilization," he said.

Lavrov called on the two diplomats to address humanitarian issues, unblock transport and economic ties, and agree on a text of a future peace treaty.

Ahead of the meeting the minister also held separate bilateral meetings with Armenian and Azerbaijani top diplomats.

With Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Bayramov, Lavrov suggested discussing issues related to arranging a presidential meeting.

For his part, Bayramov thanked Russia for preserving the memory of Azerbaijani leader Heydar Aliyev and organizing events to commemorate his 100th anniversary.

He also invited Lavrov to discuss the bilateral agenda, which is "always very intense" due to the close cooperation between Azerbaijan and Russia.

At the talks with Armenian Foreign Minister Mirzoyan, Lavrov urged to find solutions for three "key" issues – a peace treaty, unblocking communications and border delimitation.

For his part, Mirzoyan said Yerevan is committed to the trilateral agreements of the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia.

However, he accused Baku of violating the accord, naming as such the establishment of a border checkpoint on the Lachin road.

Yerevan has grown increasingly frustrated over what it calls Moscow's failure to protect Armenia in the face of a military threat from Azerbaijan.

With Russia bogged down in Ukraine and unwilling to strain ties with Azerbaijan's key ally Türkiye, the United States and European Union have sought to steer the talks.

On Sunday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met in Brussels for a new round of talks hosted by European Council President Charles Michel.

Moscow to host Armenia-Azerbaijan summit

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 15:23,

YEREVAN, MAY 18, ARMENPRESS. A trilateral meeting between the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia is planned to take place on May 25 in Moscow, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Thursday.

“We received a proposal from the Russian side on holding a trilateral summit in Moscow under the mediation of the Russian President on May 25. And we have accepted the offer,” Pashinyan said.

Another round of foreign ministerial talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan is scheduled to take place on May 19 in Moscow as well.

Azerbaijan: The veneer of democracy is peeling off Baku’s authoritarian political structure

May 11 2023
May 11, 2023

Seven of the 125 seats in Azerbaijan’s parliament are now vacant and no one seems in a hurry to do anything about it. The prolonged vacancies are an indicator that President Ilham Aliyev’s administration is not worrying about maintaining a democratic veneer on the country’s authoritarian system.

Azerbaijan has a strong presidential system that includes what is widely viewed as a rubber-stamp legislature. Parliament is packed with pro-presidential MPs, most of them members of Aliyev’s New Azerbaijan Party, along with a smattering of independents. The democracy watchdog group Freedom House in its 2023 Freedom of the World report ranked Azerbaijan’s political system as “not free,” adding that Baku ranked among the “worst of the worst” states in the areas of political rights and civil liberties.

Parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan have routinely been marred by irregularities, according to monitoring groups. The last legislative elections in 2020 produced an expected, overwhelming pro-presidential majority, but it also yielded a minor surprise: the Central Election Committee invalidated the results in four electoral districts, citing complaints of fraud. The invalidations came after Aliyev spoke publicly about a need to clean up Azerbaijan’s reputation for dirty elections. “We don't want any violations,” Aliyev said. “Those who committed violations should receive their punishment so that such situations do not happen in the future.” 

One way to address electoral fraud is to not hold a vote at all. And this is what has happened with the four invalidated results. No re-run elections have been scheduled in the un-represented districts. Three additional parliamentary vacancies have also opened up over the years: one MP died, another was arrested and expelled, and the third was promoted to a post in the executive branch. No moves have been made to fill those vacancies either.

Azerbaijani legislation seems to require expeditious action to fill parliamentary vacancies. The law on Elections for Parliament calls for re-run elections to be held within three months in cases where original results are nullified.

Back in 2021, CEC chief Mazahir Panahov told journalists that special elections for the vacant seats would be held “in the near future.” But since then there hasn’t been a peep about the matter from administration officials, who seem more focused on external issues, including as Azerbaijan’s prickly relations with Iran and the still smoldering conflict with Armenia over Nagorno Karabakh. Earlier this year, MP Zahid Oruj said that no special elections are currently planned. The next general legislative elections should be held no later than 2025.

Najmin Kamilsoy, a political analyst in Baku, said widespread apathy with electoral politics is enabling the government’s ability to put off special elections. Campaign season is a time when “political activity comes to life,” he noted. And given that elections have often engendered “international criticisms targeting election fraud, the government doesn’t feel an urge to call for new or repeated elections,” continued Kamilsoy, co-founder and analyst at Baku-based Agora Analytical Collective. “There isn’t much domestic demand.”

A lone vocal voice in calling for special elections is Ilgar Mammadov, chair of semi-opposition Republican Alternative Party (ReAl). He invoked a time-tested rationale for filling the vacant seats: taxation without representation is tyranny. “As parliamentarism is directly related to the tax policy of the state, it is the right of citizens to participate in the disposal of collected taxes by the Milli Majlis [Azerbaijani parliament] through their representatives,” he wrote in a public statement in 2022. 

Mammadov’s rallying cry hasn’t resonated much with voters, however. There’s been no groundswell of grass-roots support for special elections. Even some sitting members of parliament seem to question the point of filling the seats, acknowledging the existence of electoral fraud and the legislature’s subservient role in relation to the executive branch.

MP Erkin Gadirli from ReAl, often described as the only opposition voice in parliament, was vilified by pro-government MPs in January after he questioned the validity of the entire electoral process. The parliamentary rebuke followed Gadirli’s interview with blogger Mehman Huseynov, during which he said he could not be sure if his own mandate was legitimate. “There are no democratic elections” in Azerbaijan, he said. Another MP, independent Vahid Ahmadov, received an official reprimand from parliament’s Disciplinary Committee for taking a similar swipe at the legitimacy of the legislature. Ahmadov also called attention to the impropriety of some MPs operating business ventures while being involved in creating legislative frameworks concerning commerce.

 

POWs should be repatriated. The US ambassador to Armenia met with the family members of the POWs and missing servicemen

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 14:23,

YEREVAN, MAY 13, ARMENPRESS. Kristina Kvien, the Ambassador of the United States of America to Armenia, met with the family members of the servicemen who went missing as a result of the 44-day war and those who were captured by Azerbaijan, ARMENPRESS reports, the US Embassy in Armenia informs.

The message issued by the embassy states that the POWs should be repatriated and the remains of those killed on both sides of the conflict should be returned to their relatives whenever possible.

Armenia and Azerbaijan “remain divergent” on key points of peace treaty

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan (Photo: Twitter/@SecBlinken)

Conflicting reports have emerged on progress achieved during high-level talks in Washington last week, as American and Azerbaijani leaders have struck an optimistic tone while Armenian authorities have noted serious obstacles to a peace deal. 

Armen Grigoryan, Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia, told reporters on Tuesday that the Armenian and Azerbaijani delegations did not make progress on the most fundamental issues under negotiation. Namely, they did not reach agreements on the creation of an international mechanism to oversee talks between Artsakh and Azerbaijan, international guarantees for compliance with a peace treaty and recognition of Armenia’s territorial integrity.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov held talks in Arlington, Virginia from May 1-4 to negotiate a peace deal titled “Agreement on normalization of relations.” They also met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. 

Armenia and Azerbaijan released brief, identical statements after the marathon talks. The ministers “advanced mutual understanding on some articles of the draft bilateral agreement” while “acknowledging that the positions on some key issues remain divergent,” according to the statement. 

Secretary Blinken said that the sides made “tangible” progress toward signing a peace agreement. He said that both sides “agreed in principle to certain terms.” 

I think the pace of the negotiations and the foundation that our colleagues have built shows that we really are within reach of an agreement. The last mile of any marathon is always the hardest—we know that. But the United States is here to continue to help both of our friends cross the finish line. And as I say, I think we’re very much within reach of that,” Blinken said during the closing session. 

Bayramov was also optimistic about progress made during negotiations, stating that they had taken “one step forward.” He noted “quite a lot of differences between the positions of the parties.”  

“But some points of the peace treaty were agreed upon in those negotiations,” Bayramov told reporters on Wednesday.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, however, said that several obstacles remain to signing a peace agreement. PM Pashinyan said that an international mechanism should be established that would facilitate direct dialogue between Stepanakert and Baku. He added that it has been “impossible” to agree on language recognizing Armenia’s territorial integrity. 

Azerbaijani forces have launched several border attacks on Armenia proper since the end of the 2020 Artsakh War. They have captured at least 215 square kilometers of Armenia’s sovereign territory, according to satellite imagery. 

“Despite all this, Armenia remains committed to the policy of resolving the outstanding issues through negotiations, and we are ready to sign a peace agreement with Azerbaijan,” Pashinyan said during a visit to Prague on May 4.

Political scientist Tigran Grigoryan said that the creation of an international mechanism for direct talks between Artsakh and Azerbaijan “represents a red line for both sides.” Without reaching such an agreement, “Yerevan would, in the words of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, give Baku ‘a mandate for ethnic cleansing’ in Nagorno-Karabakh.”

This is а red line for Baku as well because the establishment of a negotiating format with international involvement would nullify two of its main post-war narratives: first, that the conflict is over; and second, that issues related to Nagorno-Karabakh are purely domestic matters for Azerbaijan,” Grigoryan said in an op-ed for Civilnet. 

The talks in Washington were organized after Azerbaijan set up a checkpoint at the entrance to the Berdzor (Lachin) Corridor from Armenia on April 23. The installation of the checkpoint violates the ceasefire agreement ending the 2020 Artsakh War, which says that the Berdzor Corridor, the sole route connecting Artsakh with Armenia and the rest of the world, will be controlled by Russian peacekeeping forces. Azerbaijan has closed the Berdzor Corridor since December 2022, placing Artsakh under blockade and precipitating a humanitarian crisis. The import of food and medical supplies to the region has come to a halt. 

Artsakh authorities say that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been unable to transport medical patients to Armenia for 11 days due to the checkpoint. The ICRC has transported people from Artsakh to Armenia for medical treatment since the start of the blockade, due to the lack of necessary medical supplies and equipment. Since April 23, the ICRC has only transferred patients to Armenia three times, and none since April 29. Russian peacekeepers have transported two patients in critical condition for treatment. Yet more than 30 people are awaiting medical treatment.  

Negotiations between Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders are scheduled to continue in Brussels this week. PM Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will meet with European Council President Charles Michel on May 14. They will later meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on June 1. The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan will also participate in a trilateral meeting in Moscow following talks in Brussels. 

Lillian Avedian is a staff writer for the Armenian Weekly. Her writing has also been published in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Hetq and the Daily Californian. She is pursuing master’s degrees in journalism and Near Eastern Studies at New York University. A human rights journalist and feminist poet, Lillian's first poetry collection Journey to Tatev was released with Girls on Key Press in spring of 2021.


Russia’s New Concept of Foreign Policy. What is important for Armenia to know?

Armenia – May 2 2023
by Sergei Melkonian

The new concept of Russian foreign policy was published on March 31, 2023. It is noticeable that the Russian Foreign Ministry prepared a draft of the updated concept back in early 2022. Perhaps the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine and its consequences made adjustments to the document. To understand the main changes in the new concept, it is important to compare it with the previous version, which was published in 2016. We can highlight the following important changes that are relevant to Armenia.
 
Hierarchy of regional priorities. Beginning with the very first concept, which was published in 1993, the key regional priority for Russia was the CIS. This continuity has been maintained throughout the five concepts. And the new concept is no exception. However, for the first time, this region is called the "near abroad." The concept of "post-Soviet space" has gone out of circulation. On the one hand, it might seem like a replacement for the wording. At the same time, the concept further describes the future process of integration on the Eurasian continent. Considering the CIS space outside the context of the "post-Soviet" region will positively influence the development of regional cooperation within the framework of other organizations.
 
Conflict Resolution. In the previous edition of 2016, approaches to conflict resolution in Transnistria and Nagorno-Karabakh were separately outlined. In the new version, both descriptions have disappeared. So, Russia does not publicly propose its approaches/vision for conflict resolution. The wording about the possibility of resolving the conflict within the framework of institutions with the participation of the West (in particular, the OSCE Minsk Group) is also removed. At the same time, it is emphasized the Russian intention to pay special attention to the resolution of conflicts, first of all, on the territories of the neighboring states. The increase of Russia's peacekeeping role within the UN, CSTO, and on the bilateral level (agreements with parties to the conflict) is a separate point. That is, the resumption of negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group is not a relevant option for Russia. In general, Yerevan can refer to the lack of formulation as a “window of opportunity”: Moscow does not yet have a position on the future of Nagorno-Karabakh. Therefore, we can formulate and propose our own agenda on the issue.

Domestic affairs of Russian allies. For the first time, the concept identifies Russia's focus on preventing the inspiration of “color revolutions” and other attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of Russia's allies and partners. This thesis goes in one context with the resolution of armed conflicts. It can be argued that Moscow, having successfully implemented this experience in Belarus and Kazakhstan, is ready to assist the current regimes in the post-Soviet space to maintain stability along Russian borders. Additionally, it is indicated that Russia intends to oppose the deployment or strengthening of the military infrastructure of unfriendly states and other threats to its security in the near abroad. Primarily, infrastructure is seen as a military presence. However, the EU observation mission or the discussed international mission for Nagorno-Karabakh could also be included within this definition.
 
Protection guarantees for Russian allies. For the first time, the new concept clearly indicates “ensuring guaranteed protection of Russia, its allies and partners under any military and political scenario in the world.” This “umbrella” includes both bilateral agreements and multilateral formats. As Armenia's experience has shown, Russia's red lines regarding this assistance are very unclear. Obviously, this issue needs specification, which can be initiated by Armenia: How are these guarantees expressed, and also, in what form will the assistance be provided when the military-political situation develops in one or another direction? An agreement between Yerevan and Moscow on at least these two issues would make relations between the two countries more predictable.
 
“Greater Eurasian Partnership”. For the first time, a Russian doctrinal document outlines the concept of the “Greater Eurasian Partnership.” It implies the linking of all integration projects on the continent: the EAEU, the SCO, ASEAN, and China's “One Belt, One Road” project. All these projects are initiated by regional actors and exclude Western presence. In this sense, Russia's position finds a practical dimension: the processes in the Eurasian content are the domestic affairs of the continent. In this case, Armenia has advantages over Azerbaijan. Both states have the status of "dialogue partner" of the SCO. Armenia's membership in the EAEU opens up new opportunities for it after the signing of FTAs between the EAEU and Iran, as well as if an agreement is reached with the UAE, India, Indonesia, and others. Moreover, the Iranian direction has an important place in Russia's foreign policy within the Islamic world (priority order: Iran, Syria, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt). Perhaps Armenia can initiate a trilateral cooperative Armenia-Russia-Iran format in both the economic and security spheres.
 
Turning from the regional to the global dimension of international relations, it is important to note that the keynote of the new concept is the natural process of forming a multipolar world order. The following is relevant for Armenia. As part of this process, Russia will intensify cooperation with its allies and partners and will suppress the attempts by unfriendly states to obstruct such cooperation. So, we can talk about Russia's intention to conduct a proactive policy in this regard. It is hard to say how exactly this will be expressed in the case of the Armenian-Russian relations. So far, Russia has expressed concern about the EU mission and the implementation of sanctions against Armenian milk products.
 
Continuing to explore the global dimension of international relations in the new Russian concept, it is also important for Yerevan to pay attention to the following. Firstly, the analysis of the new concept showed that only four countries are considered "sovereign and global centers of power": Russia, the US, China, and India. That is, the other states are either not independent in the implementation of their foreign and domestic policies or do not have global interests. For example, there is no such characteristic with regard to European states. Second, from Moscow's point of view, the United States and the European countries pose a security threat to Russia.
 
Second, from Moscow's point of view, the United States and the states of the European continent pose a security threat to Russia. That is, any policy of Washington or Brussels is seen by Moscow, at least on a declarative level, as obviously anti-Russian. However, the main “inspirer, organizer, and executor of the aggressive anti-Russian policy of the collective West” is the United States. In this sense, any rapprochement between Armenia and the West will be perceived by Moscow as an anti-Russian policy. However, in case of an active dialogue between Armenia and the EU, Russia's reaction may not be so crucial and harsh. The American direction of Armenian foreign policy will be perceived quite clearly. Realizing this may be important, including in the context of the Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiation process. "The Washington platform" is more toxic for Russia. Therefore, even though European mediation will be perceived by Moscow as competitive and undesirable, the agreements reached through the mediation of Brussels will be taken into account.

If the current leadership in Armenia plans to take Russia's position into account, at least in its long-term strategic planning, then both positive and negative directions can be identified. The first group includes Armenia's rapprochement with Iran and India. That is, the development of trade, economic and military-technical cooperation with the two aforementioned countries will not have a negative impact on relations between Yerevan and Moscow. On the contrary, the continuation of Western involvement attempts in the region is likely to take place at the cost of a worsening of the dialogue between Armenia and Russia. Meanwhile, so far Moscow has not put its partners before the "West" or "non-West" choice.

Sergei Melkonian, Ph.D., Research Fellow, APRI Armenia.

These views are his own.


Film producers to get up to 20% return of budget expenses in Armenia amid interest from India and U.S.

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 12:06, 2 May 2023

YEREVAN, MAY 2, ARMENPRESS. Member of Parliament Sisak Gabrielyan has authored a bill which seeks to create favorable conditions for filmmakers in filming motion pictures in Armenia.

Gabrielyan’s bill proposes the government to return up to 20% of the expenditures made by film producers.

“Films have budgets, and this budget includes expenditures. We stipulate by law that film producers will receive up to 20% return in case of expenditures which are directly linked with film production,” he said. The list of the products considered directly relating to film production will be envisaged by law.

Gabrielyan said that filmmakers have told him that this law will bring significant growth to filmmaking in Armenia.

“Filmmakers say that the climate and nature in Armenia are one of the best. I also know that there is big interest from India and the US for filming a movie in Armenia,” the MP said.